Go inside the Freddys Thursday

TOWN SQUARE

So as Christopher Lockhart, writer/producer of the inspirational "Most Valuable Players" documentary about the Freddy Awards and the area's 2008 high school theater season, joined featured actors and directors on stage at the State Theatre recently for a retrospective discussion, he paid special tribute to Mark Stutz.

Early in the shooting of what ended up as three months and 350 hours of interviews and performances, the movie's producers had no idea what their story was going to be. It didn't crystallize until they discovered that Parkland and Emmaus, two of the area's best theater programs and rivals in pretty much everything, both planned to stage "Les Miserables" on the same weekend — and that veteran Parkland director Stutz, who said Parkland chose the play first, was none too happy about it.

"His personality was instrumental in us making that decision," Lockhart said during the group interview guided by Freddy Awards Executive Producer Shelley Brown. "I thought that was the heart of our film."

The reuniting of the young stars and directors from Parkland, Emmaus and Freedom high schools was triggered by the impending TV debut of "Most Valuable Players" on the Oprah Winfrey Network. The documentary will air at 9 p.m. Thursday. "On Stage with Most Valuable Players," the video of the recent discussion, will be presented as an online extra at http://www.oprah.com.

If my only Freddy Awards encounter were watching it every year on Channel 69, I'd say it's an exceptional event. The talent and enthusiasm of the high school students jumps off the screen, just as it does on stage every spring in high schools around our area.

As it happens, I've experienced the whole thing firsthand, both as a Freddy presenter and as a theater parent. So I'm even more in tune with the electricity of that night and the sacrifices and joys of those students.

Still, I didn't really understand the Freddys until I watched "Most Valuable Players."

There's a lot more there than Parkland vs. Emmaus. There are great performances and funny, engaging stars from all three featured schools. There's Freedom High School director Jennifer Wescoe, guiding and inspiring her young cast to their Freddy-winning performance in "Bye Bye Birdie." There's the camaraderie of dedicated cast members and, surprisingly, of the Freddy competitors gathered to prepare for the show. There's the alternately heartbreaking and uplifting story of Freddys volunteer coordinator Vic Kumma, who was diagnosed with terminal cancer as the filming unfolded but continued to imbue the process with his warmth and enthusiasm, not to mention amazing courage. The movie and a lot of tears are dedicated to him.

And then there's Stutz. It was fun to hear from all the film's stars as they reunited, but I was most interested in his reaction. After all, it's safe to say he didn't see himself back then as the bad guy. He saw himself as the protector of his kids, his school and a program that was setting a high standard for high school theater long before the Freddys were conceived.

"I was a little bit surprised," he confessed, "because I don't remember myself that way. I was honest to a fault. I just spoke what was in my heart."

I know what a target that district is whenever people around the Valley are talking about schools that have more resources and better facilities than most, and Stutz thinks — rightly, I believe — it sometimes affects how its accomplishments are judged. But since he made these observations in the wake of Emmaus' Freddy award as Outstanding Overall Production of a Musical, not to mention several Freddys for underdog Freedom, it came off with a taste of competitive sour grapes.

I loved it, because it helped keep things real. Wescoe makes a point of encouraging her kids to perform for themselves and the satisfaction of being their best, and I would like to think that's true everywhere. ("If you're in it for the statues," Brown says, "don't do it.") But don't let anyone tell you there's no competition, and not just in the casting, which can be cutthroat. When the run of the show is over and those performances are recognized with Freddy nominations, you'd better believe those kids and adults want to win — and sometimes wonder afterward why they didn't.

I encourage you to tune in Thursday night to see the convergence of funny, talented kids and dedicated adults on small stages and one big stage for a night they'll never forget. I think it'll stick with you, too.